G-rated rejection #1

When the flood hit the other day I found myself running in place like Barney Rubble. I was even making the skidaddle coconut noise. Minor brain lock, panic decisions were made, I was lucky. Today, I was caught by surprise a little bit.

I just received an e-mail that my app had been rejected by Apple for having obscene material or excessive violence. They also included a few screenshots that I submitted. That's it, no other directions. They give you a wide variety of reasons, so you have to play detective. E-mail is your only communication.

Really looking at it, it is my own fault. Not paying attention to detail. One of the things you have to do is rate your app. I had it rated 4+? That is a G rating. This is probably the reason the screenshots were rejected too. They show fighting...my bad.

I did a minor skidaddle and called Lenny at Apalon. Olga tweaked the descriptions, we changed a few screenshots and Mahesh uploaded the new binary. My mistake was rating the game too low. A more adult rating and a few tweaks may get it through. We'll see.

Sand Bags

After yesterday I prepared for another water assault. I went to every store possible looking for sand bags but came up empty. I couldn't even find bags that I could fill myself. I was basically screwed if it started raining hard again.

I pulled up to my condo and saw a truck with hundreds of sandbags and a crew to move them. Right on time! It proceeded to rain cats & dogs but the bags kept the damage to a minimum.

During this time I finalized everything to submit to Apple. I wrote and re-wrote the application description and press release 15 times. By taking a long time to create you can go crazy on the details. The product and marketing has evolved so all the materials have to reflect the changes.

I mopped a lot during this last process. Learning from my postal buddies, rain, sleet, snow or flood will not stop me. About 3:00 pm I was on iTunes Connect polishing the applications for the free and paid app separately. I hit the button and wait for Apple's review.

AdMob Cross Promotion?

I have had to wait for the programmers and exercise my patience. Old problems find their way back into the app and appear in testing. This time it is faking a malady to the phone, a screen crack. This will get you rejected. I took it out long ago. Good things seem to happen when I slow down. Though I am aggravated somewhere I know things will work out. It is part of the "letting go" process.

I row on weekends, mainly sculling in a quad. Four people, two oars each. The idea is to get your oars in and out of the water at the same time. My buddy Ed says that you can find yourself at a standstill if you row fast enough. Sometimes we row 19 strokes a minute and go faster than when we do 22. It's about patience and timing.

While waiting, I read a Linked-In post on the www.iphoneintouch group. It was suggested to use a free version to earn credits to spend on paid ads on AdMob. You cross promote for FREE on their network of other admob enabled ads, it costs nothing and you can then up-sell to your main app. Plus, you earn 20% more to take ad credits instead of money.

There are downsides. Admob requires a web connection plus people leave your app and never come back at times. I have to think about this.

Pimp'in ain't easy!

Being that "Beat the Boss" is back in the shop for some tweaks I am involved in the marketing aspects like keywords and description. The biggest news of the moment is Tiger Woods infidelity. He has bowed out of golf for the moment to collect his thoughts and arrange his life. What sucks for him is that he is so famous that almost every conversation in the world starts with a Tiger joke. I am contributing as I always have. Sorry Tiger.

Touchdown

I have been involved with sports my whole life. I played a lot of ballgames in my day which shapes how you approach projects. In football, you play four quarters. Drives lead to touchdowns. You don't celebrate till you cross the line. Beat the Boss is finished both FREE and PAID and is ready for submission. I can finally raise my hands in the end zone signifying a score. The game isn't over but I have reached a plateau. Physically finishing the app itself is quite an accomplishment. Next up is submission and marketing. In football terms that would be kicking the extra point and continuing the game. The original of this picture was done in airbrush many years ago about 18"X24". It is not a photograph.

Headaches

An interesting phenomenon shows up just every now and then. This annoying occurrence makes me think my friend Mahesh has lost his mind. At the same time, he thinks I have lost mine.

Part of the difficulty about working long distance is understanding. I have contact with India, The Netherlands, Belarus and the US. I am getting used to working with people all around the world. There are some typical challenges including time coordination and the delay that I call "international art lag".

Today's discussion has relevance to my story about having a bad guitar wire. For three years I couldn't hear my guitar through my computer because of a bad cable. This is kind of happening again.

I just tested the final versions sent to me by Mahesh, both FREE and PAID versions. They were supposed to contain minor adjustments. The PAID reflected the changes, the FREE didn't. Interesting.

In normal procedure, I go to iTunes / iPhone / Applications and delete the present version of Beat the Boss, then I sync. After sync I add what Mahesh sends me and sync again. Then I test.

I loaded a FREE and a PAID version. The PAID looks great and reflects the changes I suggested for that current version. The FREE showed no changes at all. I sent a note saying great, but not quite there. I assume this is when Mahesh starts taking aspirin.

In the past we have run into times where I have to "Restore" my iPhone when it doesn't recognize the changes sent to me. That is what I did yesterday.

It ends up I have a bad cord again in a digital kind of way. It happens intermittently so you forget about the possibility.

Continuity between PAID and FREE versions

Part of the hassle of finishing is knowing when you are done. The reaction I have been getting when people first turn on the app is that they think it's stuck. They tap the screen almost instinctively. I don't want the first impression of the game to be negative.

To the programmer's demise I have changed the opening screen to include the text, "loading". I have also added "V1" and "Free" to the main screens. Now there is continuity between the two versions.

The free version is my main sales tool. At the end of the free play I have the Boss pitching to buy the paid version. If not play again. I believe the free game will be played 2-3 times then upgraded or deleted. The game is fun to play, I believe the upgrade percentage should be around 30 - 40%.

Political Caricatures OK'd by Apple

My first app caused me a ton of heartbreak because of Apple's stance on caricature drawings of political figures. I was literally thrown into the doghouse for drawing President Obama throwing a frisbee on the White House lawn. Other apps were turned down as well, but it was a tough lesson. I just got a Google alert that Apple has changed their mind. now you CAN cartoon political figures… "Son of a bitch!" I repeat, "son of a bitch!" It's like playing basketball while they change the height of the rim. No, it's more like moving furniture. Honey, I think it looks better here, no here…no here. It's really a pain in the butt to learn a lesson, adjust your life then have that lesson changed. Had I mentioned "son of a bitch!".

I just edited the app description for the last time and sent instructions to finish the free app. In theory , my part (artistically) is done. I would expect that I would submit this week, but I said the same thing a few weeks ago. It's almost time to change into my marketing hat.

K.I.S.S.

I used to be a salesman. One thing they would throw at you at sales meetings was "KISS". Keep it simple, stupid. My free version is my sales tool. I had originally planned a lot of bells and whistles.

I was going to have the user opt to have the Boss send e-mails taunting you to fight as well as remind you to buy the full version when you have WiFi. Maybe in a future episode but for now I'm simplifying to reduce difficulties.

When I really looked at what I was creating it didn't necessarily lead to a sale. I want people to try the game then buy the full version for $2 bucks. My buttons to start the free version are "Play Game" and "Buy Full Version". I will entertain but initiate the sale from the start.

Today's assignment is to make sure the free app layout makes sense and leads to a sale. Application descriptions were re-written to make the game more buyable. I will sit on what I wrote and send it tomorrow.

I also created a new pitch. After you beat the Boss he dares you to buy the full version. I listed the new weapons but did not show them. From what I understand you can't show features not included in that version. It would imply there is something missing.

Chairman Meow

Most of my workday I am alone except for the phone, Skype, e-mail and occasional text messages. I do have two four legged characters that give me the sense of community without the drama. Unfortunately for the local wildlife, they do like to hunt. They bring in birds, mice, moths and lizards mainly. I am expecting them to drag the UPS guy through the cat door some day. I am glad they like me because they would just assume kill me if they had the chance. I always see them planning using a calculator and a tape measure. I found this logo online. I am ordering Chairman Meow T-Shirts for them to wear.

The Office

I drove to go meet the people at Drizen-Dohs Corporate Communications. They have an office/printing facility in the San Fernando valley. They have been printing my cartoons for the past few years for Paragon Steel. They were familiar with my animations on the internet. This put me at a disadvantage, they knew before meeting me that I have a loose screw.

It was really nice to finally meet people I have e-mailed and spoken to for quite a while. Christina, Lauren & Julia are a good looking bunch with smarts and real world knowledge. They could be in the cast of "The Office". We also shared the thought of having a special Beat the Boss "The Office" version where you beat up Michael Scott. I think people would like it.

Drizen-Dohs has been in business for a number of years but are small enough to deal with me as an individual. They use print, press releases and digital media to spread corporate messages. We seem to see eye to eye on what needs to be done and who to impress. They asked a good question, how do I want to be promoted as an individual? Hmmmm. It reminded me of many years ago in a motivational seminar when I was in a session with a partner yelling at me "What do you want?" Back then I yelled back, "I want to be a cartoonist!" Today my answer was "I want to create and market off the wall interactive entertainment for mobile devices."

They are putting together a few different ways to manage the promotion of Beat the Boss. Some will require more work by me. Why stop now?

This is it

My good friend Jim Stavis recommended that we go see Michael Jackson's "This is it" at the movies. Jim is in his early fifties, not representative of the expected demographic. But now that I think about it, Jim did listen to Michael's music his whole life. Marianne and I caught the film in-between errands over the weekend. I must say, that was a great movie. I envisioned he was a shadow of his former self prior to his death. I was very wrong. His dancing and singing were vintage Michael.

My first concert that I ever went to was The Jackson 5 when I was 12. Michael and I were born days apart. I have measured fame for someone of my age by the Michael Jackson barometer, bigger than Elvis in my opinion.

After seeing the film I felt bad for all the dancers and musicians. This was an elite team gathered from talent around the globe that was about to perform 50 amazing shows. They had to be devastated about the death as well as the lost opportunity. Too bad, he was a great entertainer.

I have been trying to figure what I am going to follow up with after Beat the Boss. I have many ideas that I have been weighing. "This is it" represents a few things for me. Beat the Boss is a compilation of MY life's work. While Michael was dancing I was drawing. I wish I had a speck of his talent.

The dancing reminded me of one of my app ideas to animate interactive characters dancing to your chosen music from iTunes. At this moment, this would have me changing venues from business to music. When Adobe CS5 comes out and I can output to iPhone from Flash, this might make a whole bunch of sense.

ESPN influence

Watching ESPN gave me an idea. While the announcers do their thing a bar often appears at the bottom of the screen with additional information. Scores, injuries, lawsuits, steroid accusations etc. I am going to do the same thing on the BeatTheBossGame.com website.

I have created a futuristic city that serves as part of the loader in the game. Many flying objects have been added to the scene as well as buttons to YouTube commercials. After :30 seconds or so, a bar pops up with the game's first hint. This one tells you that there are different ways to approach the Boss. I will use this method to issue official Beat the Boss corporate communications. Next is trying to figure out how to program an iPhone to do an optical scan as an additional security measure.

I am spending a lot more time on the website than originally planned, but that's OK. The whole project reflects my artistic vision of corporate society. Having balloon boy fly by seemed like a good idea at the time. THEY loved the story airing it on all levels of communication.

The next hurdle

The next hurdle is to make sure the free version works correctly. It is the vehicle to success in my opinion. My goal is to get people to try the game. Smacking him in the face with boxing gloves is fun, but part of the charm of the game is winning each level so you can find out which weapon comes next. At the end of the first level the Boss pitches the user to upgrade to full version.

The guy's voice is great, he is an excellent pitchman. A button needs to appear that goes straight to the App store to collect $1.99. I am even planning on an email button to remind you to buy the full version when you are in WiFi. This brings up another point, my free version has to be under 10 megs in size. This way it can be downloaded anywhere independent of a WiFi connection.

After submitting the app there will be about 2-4 weeks to get things rolling. Tweets e-mails and press releases will direct people to YouTube and to the BeatTheBossGame.com website. T-Shirts will be sent to people with excellent weapon suggestions on the blog. The app will be updated after about three weeks and continuously for the next two months.

The timing looks like a Christmas time release. I picture people under the tree, beaming with their new iPhone gift. They will immediately log onto the App Store to check out the "New & Noteworthy" section, the Beat the Boss boxing glove icon will be there with a nice big "Free". Go ahead, beat the boss on me. If you had fun, pay $2 bucks and get the full version.

Pocket god

I read Dean Takahashi's article on Venture Beat's site about the "pocket god" iPhone app and the reasons for it's success. One reason they are successful is because they constantly update their app, with every update they alter the icon.

This isn't a new concept, but what got me is that two guys put together pocket god. One is an artist another a programmer. Sounds familiar, but my programmer is in India. I can emulate their method.

It has been such a long haul, the thought of making the game bigger at this point would have programmers at Indianic planning my early demise, but I want Beat the Boss to stay popular. Sales spikes occur when you do an update. I am going to take suggestions for weapons online and add them regularly if possible. The chosen weapon winners will get a free T-Shirt.

Being that the game is level oriented, the framework is there. The Boss icon is set up well to accommodate version changes.

I look outside and see pitchforks and burning torches. It must be programmers.

T-Shirt Design

My new icon design has been translated into a T-Shirt design. I think it will make a nice give-away. Here is a mock-up using my friend Scott as a winner.

I have known this guy my whole life and he has made many bonehead moves. One of his favorite jokes is to put his finger under his chin after doing something dumb. His question would be, "What's this?"...answer, "sh_t on a stick".

We would play with GI Joe, Lincoln Logs, wood blocks and Hot Wheels when we were kids. Twisting track through our creations testing gravity. That mindset continued through life as digital tools allow for artistic interpretation. Beat the Boss actually started many years ago, playing with little cars.

iPhone apps in Flash CS5

It is interesting how time moves on. The creation of the Beat the Boss was a cooperative effort between IndiaNic and Mike Browne. I created all the art and assembled it in Flash. Indianic took great efforts to interpret my thought and implement it in the iPhone SDK. They had to literally rip it apart and put it back together. Now that we are almost done, Adobe announces that Flash CS5 will include an output to create for the iPhone directly. It will be out later this year…it is now October.

When The Boss is done it will look like it was created in Flash and everyone will be wondering how we did it so fast. The reality is that it was put together piece by piece. One thing I know for sure is my next app will be created in Flash from the start. My guess the creation time of this same project would be a fraction of the 6 months it took to create The Boss.

As I write this, there are about 75,000 apps and 2 million downloads. A year from now it should be 5 times that amount. The tough part is going to be iTunes. How will people find your apps? It is hard standing out now amongst 75,000, imagine down the road. Another thought is the approval process. It takes minimum 2 weeks now to get approved by Apple now, with rejections this can be months. What will they do when the Flash crowd shows up?

The Boss will come out right on time. Just before the crowd hits after people figure out how to make Flash CS5 work for them. The game is changing, but I have the right skill set to work within the platform. I will adapt with everyone else. But there is more to it than tools. Beat the Boss is an idea that is well thought out and the game play is fun.

My good friend Terumi gave me this Flash action character a number of years ago. She was right, Flash is the answer.

Flying Cars

I attempted to learn to use the iPhone SDK like I have used other programs to animate in the past. I have experience using Flash, After Effects, Director, Media 100, I figured I could learn another discipline. Wrong. By the time I could program the game by myself, we will be driving flying cars. I am right brained, C+ is left brain. I bought a book, "iPhone in Action" and learned what was possible, then found help. Searching the Internet I chose Indianic.

This game has been in development for approximately 6 months. It has been a challenge working with developers in India. Not so much English, more distance and time. Actually, now that I think about it, I had men calling me "dear". I created "The First Dog" working with Indianic, so I knew the routine. Part of that routine is patience. If you have a good idea or adjustment, most probably no one will know about it for about 13 1/2 hours. These days we are used to instant answers, this is more like can and string.

In any creation, getting your thought into a programmer and out a device is a challenge. My technique has been the super storyboard. Being that I animate in Flash, the programmers just follow what I show them. I provide them a moving guide, art and a full written explanation. They apply their skill to my art, so it kind of looks like Flash. If the iPhone ever uses the Flash player floodgates will open.

Testing

Beat the Boss is getting closer to being playable. My goal is to make a game that is winnable but not too easy. Some games are technically on the money but not fun. The idea is to beat the living crap out of the Boss. The play is simple, throw enough punches to knock him out before time runs out. It does get a little stressful when you can't hit the guy. I am going level by level testing trying to make my phone blow up. One change I made is changing pencils to push pins, they are better to throw. What is cool is they build up on the screen. Things are moving on, soon will be time to divide between a free version and a paid version. All the little things need to be attended to including the ability to upgrade for $2.00. I also want to automatically ask for a rating after the second play. My YouTube commercials are ready to go, still too soon to start marketing.

Chia Obama

This has very little to do with my new app but it''s worth mentioning. This morning I saw a post on Facebook from my niece's husband Tony. He was floored by the fact that he saw a commercial for "Chia Obama". About 6 months ago I had pitched Chia to do an iPhone app. I had a virtual board meeting discussing the possibilities of taking their brand to the iPhone. The owner is not a young guy, he believes all the youngsters he hires who say "yes" so they can keep their jobs. He showed us Chia Obama. I almost hacked up a hair ball. Joe insisted that the African Americans he asked thought it was a great product. Hoogaduh! hoogaduh! (That is the sound of a cat coughing up that hair ball)

Who would buy this? If I walked into any one of my friend's house and saw that on the mantle I would fall out laughing...then leave. My friend's are smarter than that. I can see it on some racist liberal hating college student's toilet tank, that's about it. It is flat out a bad product. Walmart pulled it from the shelves, but amazingly they said yes to the original order in the first place.

Joe was excited about an upcoming TV interview to be filmed. It ended up a foot in mouth interview where he appeared to be a "Cracker". His minions were on vacation unable to help in damage control.

What we suggested was do a Chia app that demonstrates all their products. Virtual iPhone Chia's. Charge $1, then donate the money to charity to try and save face. They were concerned people would not buy real Chia's if they could get one on an iPhone. My question was, how many of your customer's own iPhones? The idea was to spread the word. Instead his bobble headed "Yes Men" helped him design a Chia Statue of Liberty. It looks absolutely ridiculous, the French are offended and want her back.